“Encryption is inexorably tied to our national interests. It is a safeguard for our personal secrets and economic prosperity. It helps to prevent crime and protect national security." – A report from the bipartisan House Judiciary Committee & House Energy and Commerce Committee

This week, the Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit alleging that LeapLab, a data broker in Nevada, sold intimate details about several hundred thousands of people, including their Social Security numbers and bank account numbers, to marketers and other companies that had no legitimate need for that information.

One of the data purchasers, Ideal Financial Solutions of Las Vegas, reportedly used the records it bought to make unauthorized withdrawals from consumers’ bank accounts, according to a separate federal lawsuit.

You can read more in an article by Natasha Singer in the Wall Street Journal’s “Bits” Blog at http://goo.gl/xhkmDz.

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